


Cold, Cold Winter

by FleetSparrow



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 10:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16973067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetSparrow/pseuds/FleetSparrow
Summary: An old fic from 2013.  Moving it over before Tumblr breaks itself.





	Cold, Cold Winter

Dick had never lived in a place with snow, at least, not  _real_  snow like Gotham. He’d seen slush on the side of the road, he’d visited in places where it snowed and people had to clean off their cars and stuff, but Gotham was different. When it snowed in Gotham, it  _snowed_. Ice, sleet, hail, Gotham seemed to have nothing but storms throughout its winter. The seasons were as rough as the city, and Dick hated both.

Tonight, he was curled in front of the fireplace, bundled up in a blanket, and hating everything. His parents had always gone away for winter, traveled somewhere warm when the circus was off for the season. Even the months where they met up with his dad’s family in cold countries had seemed warmer just because of the people who surrounded them. No one surrounded him here except an almost empty house and the ever-growing layer of snow outside the walls.

Mr. Wayne–  _Bruce_ , he always tried to tell Dick, but Dick still couldn’t make himself say it; he still didn’t know him well enough yet– had been gone all day except for dinner and had gone out again right afterwards. That would’ve been OK if it wasn’t so cold and lonely. It was his first winter without his parents, Dick realized. The first holiday season alone.

He scooted a little closer to the fire.

The door opened, but Dick didn’t move. Only two people lived here, and with Mr. Wayne gone, it wasn’t hard to figure out who was there. “Hi, Alfred.”

A different voice answered. “Sorry. Not him, I’m afraid.”

Dick looked up, his eyes wide. Mr. Wayne stood there with a tray of cookies and two mugs, a small almost-questioning smile on his face. “Do you mind if I join you?”

Dick shook his head and moved over to give him space on the hearthrug. “I thought you were still out.”

“Car got caught in the snow, almost had to walk back.” He laughed that slightly too-loud laugh Dick never really liked and set the tray down in front of them.

A few moments of silence passed as they drank their hot chocolate and stared at the fire while Dick tried his best to not look at the man next to him. He wasn’t really mad at him, but he just never had anything to say. And when Mr. Wayne laughed like that, he usually wasn’t in a good mood.

Finally, the older man spoke. “My first winter was hard, too. I thought there’d never been a colder winter. I remember one night, I ran out into the snow and thought I’d just lay there and never come out, just bury myself in the snow until the cold…” He trailed off and took a long drink.

Dick glanced at him. “I’ve never been in a winter this cold. I don’t like this kind of cold.”

Hesitantly, Mr. Wayne reached out an arm toward Dick as if offering a hug. Dick looked at him for a long moment, then inched closer until he could lean against him. A big arm wrapped around him, and, for a moment, Dick almost convinced himself it was his dad’s holding him tight to keep out the cold.

“I won’t bury myself in the snow, Mr. Wayne,” Dick said softly, huddling a little closer to the man’s body heat.

The large hand rubbed his shoulder. “That’s good, Dick. I don’t want you to. You won’t be alone here.”

Dick frowned hard, fighting back a sudden rush of tears that threatened to well up. As long as his parents were gone, he’d always be alone, the last Flying Grayson alone without a family. But then, so would Mr. Wayne.

Slowly, he moved an arm out from under his blanket and wrapped it around the man’s chest as far as he could reach. “Thank you…Bruce.”

The arm around him held him tighter and soon, between the heat of the fireplace and the hug, Dick fell asleep.


End file.
